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Ottawa man invents hockey helmet sensor to detect concussions

Danny Crossman, a former British Army bomb technician, has developed a sensor, designed to be attached to the top of a hockey helmet which when paired with a smartphone will alert a trainer or parent when a player has suffered sufficient force to warrant implementing concussion protocols.Photo: Wayne Cuddington , Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA — Kanata entrepreneur Danny Crossman — and his idea for a hockey helmet sensor — won over Canada’s hard-headed business experts Wednesday night as he landed a funding deal on CBC’s Dragons’ Den.

Crossman, chief executive of Impakt Protective, presented his idea for the Shockbox — a hockey helmet sensor that wirelessly alerts parents and team officials whenever a player suffers a dangerous blow to the head.

In a sport where avoiding concussions has become a top priority, the dragons agreed Crossman’s invention could make a real impact.

Crossman used to be a bomb disposal officer with the British army, later worked for several defence research firms to develop a helmet that records the impact of bomb blasts.

He and his business partner, Scott Clark, founded Impakt Protective with the goal of applying that military technology on the ice rink and the sports field.

The two struck a deal with the five-member Dragons’ Den panel for $350,000 in return for 10 per cent of their company.

One of the dragons, Jim Treliving, Tweeted Wednesday that if the technology was used in pro-sports, Shockbox would be “an even more interesting opportunity.”

Another panel member, Mathew Baril said he liked the idea because “parents would snap this up!”